How to Disinfect Baby Toys
Because babies put virtually everything in their mouths, it's important that their toys be properly cleaned and disinfected to prevent the spread of germs. Saliva from their mouths and discharge from a runny nose can spread germs. To keep your child healthy, disinfect toys on a regular basis. If a friend has mouthed a toy, be sure to disinfect it before your child uses it again. It's good to disinfect your baby's toys at the end of each day, especially if he has a cold.
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Things You'll Need
- Dishwasher
- Lingerie bag
- Bleach
- Water
- Surface sanitizer
- Washing machine
- Large plastic bag
Instructions
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Place hard, non-electronic, plastic toys in the dishwasher. Running plastic toys through the dishwasher on the top shelf will disinfect toys. Opt for the sanitize mode on your dishwasher if possible. Smaller plastic toys can be put in a lingerie bag before placing them on the top shelf.
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To disinfect the surfaces of plastic or other hard items, make a bleach solution. Add 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of clean cool water. Wash the surface areas of the toys with this solution. Wipe down the toys with plain water to remove remnants of the bleach solution.
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Place plush toys in the washing machine. Unless the cleaning instructions state that the toy should be surface cleaned only, place small stuffed or plush toys into the washing machine. Be sure to choose a hot water cycle. Air dry or tumble dry.
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Use a child-safe surface sanitizer like Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface Sanitizer on hard surfaces. This product is safe for baby toys, cutting boards and high chairs. Spray it on and let the toy sit for two minutes, then wipe the toy dry. This product claims to kill 99.9 percent of common household bacteria.
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Place larger stuffed toys in an airtight bag and let it sit for several days. If there are any bugs or mites in the toys, the lack of oxygen will kill them. You can also throw bigger stuffed toys in the dryer on the hot cycle before placing them in the bag to speed up the process. The heat from the dryer should kill bugs.
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To clean wooden toys, use a solution of 10 parts water to one part bleach. The toy should be wiped down with a damp rag soaked in the solution. Dry the toy immediately to avoid having the wood absorb excess moisture.
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Tips & Warnings
Eco-friendly cleaning products are available that may be suitable for sanitizing toys. Benefect is one such brand of eco-friendly, germ-cleaning products.
Only add bleach to water. Mixing with other chemicals can be dangerous.
Leave all cleaning supplies out of the reach of children.
Resources
- Photo Credit baby with toy ring image by Pavel Losevsky from Fotolia.com
